Hard For My Best Friend's Sister Page 2

  I could barely focus on the number. I knew this deal was important to my client and making the client happy was vitally important to the firm, but the only thing important to me at this moment was Dylan. Besides, I couldn’t advise my client to take the first offer she made, no matter what it was.

  “No deal,” I said.

  She hummed and nodded, looking through her briefcase for something else.

  She was still rattled. For a second there when she’d walked through the door, I’d been afraid she was going to walk right back out. She’d been avoiding me for ten years, after all. I had no evidence that she’d be willing to sit in the same room with me long enough to negotiate a contract.

  What I did know was that Dylan was the kind of woman who wanted everything. She’d always been that way. Ever since I’d known her she’d been trying to conquer the world, so I’d bet that if I met her in this setting she both wouldn’t want to back down from the challenge and would value her job too much to walk away.

  I’d bet right. Her position in her company was important enough for her to set aside differences long enough to talk to me.

  “I have a proposal here I’m not supposed to show you.” She pulled a slip of paper out of her briefcase and looked up at me through her lashes. What was this tactic? Was she trying to seduce me into a deal?? Actually, that might work. Dylan didn’t have to work hard to seduce me, but I doubted she’d be unprofessional enough to try it here. Dylan valued straight shooting. I was going to give her exactly what she wanted.

  “Bullshit,” I said. “If you weren’t supposed to show it to me, it wouldn’t exist, and it definitely wouldn’t be in your briefcase.”

  Dylan blinked and set the paper down. I’d just broken the rule of polite negotiation and called out her posturing. I’d never put any stock in politeness for its own sake. When I negotiated, I went straight for what really mattered. It was a tactic that had gotten me to the level of partner in record-breaking time.

  I tapped the table in front of me for emphasis. “You want a majority share in my client’s company and you want it as cheap as you can get it. My client isn’t willing to give up that much. He is willing to go to forty percent, and he knows exactly what that’s worth. So make me a real offer.”

  Dylan made a sound deep in her throat and broke eye contact. She tapped her fingers on the table. I could tell she was recalculating. Or maybe trying to get her head together. Her cheeks were flushed. Had I turned her on? I leaned forward.

  She pushed her chair back. “The offer I’ve made you is real. What I will not do is walk out of this room with less than fifty-one percent. Yes, I know what that’s worth, and I also know your client has a track record of needing to be held accountable for his actions. This deal is already a risk. We won’t make it without a controlling stake.”

  George hadn’t told me he had a reputation for having a bad track record. I was going to strangle him when I got out of here. He’d sent me into this negotiation unprepared and now I was getting blindsided. It was even worse because I was being humiliated in front of Dylan, by Dylan.

  “You’re bluffing,” I said. I had no idea if she was, but it was worth pretending to be a mind reader on the off chance I got it right. “You want this too bad. You’ll take forty-nine.”

  I gave her a concession to sweeten the pot and smooth ruffled feathers. I wanted her to take it for my client’s sake, but for myself I’d rather she turned it down. Once this was over she’d leave this room and go right back to avoiding me. I still hadn’t figured out what to say to make what I’d done to her right.

  “No, Cameron.”

  Her use of my first name sent me into a state of shock. I wanted her to say it over and over again. At least she hadn’t forgotten me.

  She lifted an eyebrow. “We don’t want it that bad. And fifty-one percent is the offer on the table.”

  She was taunting me. Sonuvabitch.

  “Dylan.” If I could just make her melt for me like she’d melted that night, I’d have her.

  Her mocha eyes were flinty and cold. She was shutting me out.

  I knew I’d hurt her. She wouldn’t have spent ten years avoiding me if my leaving hadn’t caused any damage. I hated how much I’d hurt her.

  What if I couldn’t fix this? What if she would never stop hating me? I could have lost something that couldn’t be replaced—a shot with an amazing woman. I wanted to kick the kid I was ten years ago in the balls. Moron. Getting one fantastic night with this woman then screwing the whole thing up.

  “Did you have a counter offer?” Dylan asked. Her lip curled up. She was winning and she knew it.

  Her lips were right there. I could kiss her. That would change the expression on her face fast enough.

  Would she kiss me back or punch me in the face? I had no idea. No matter what I wanted, this wasn’t the appropriate time. I couldn’t throw my client under the bus to get her back. That would probably qualify as a little thing called malpractice.

  Of course, I just might be tempted if it would get her back, but I was at least trying not to do anything too stupid in this crazy scheme to convince Dylan how sorry I was.

  “Fifty,” I said. I knew George wanted this deal bad enough to sell fifty, and he hadn’t told me about his track record. Dylan had made it clear she wouldn’t take less than fifty, and I believed her.

  “Now we can negotiate.” She gave me a tight smile. I savored that small sign of her approval, the way her face lit up when she felt triumphant.

  I wished I was negotiating for myself instead of my client. I would have given her everything I owned to see that smile again.

  She pulled a value estimation out of her briefcase and began going over numbers.

  Dylan was good at her job. My admiration for her grew.

  Focus. My client was more important than my cock right now.

  I looked over the numbers she handed me. It looked remarkably similar to the evaluations I’d had done. She was playing straight with me and being honest.

  If I had to walk back to my client with fifty, though, I’d need a bigger than expected number to make him take the deal.

  I flipped the evaluation paper over so neither of us could see it. “These are just numbers. Let’s talk gut. You want this company. You know what a good bet it is. These,” I waved at the paper, “are preliminary. It’ll be worth more than that in a year. You know it. I know it. Now give me a big enough price to make this worth my time before I start lining up better offers.”

  I wasn’t bluffing. I could easily line up more offers for George, but he really wanted this one. Besides, I wasn’t convinced there would be anything better than what Dylan could give me. The company she worked for was flush with cash, and they had connections that George wanted.

  Most importantly for me, if Dylan agreed to the deal she’d have to spend more time with me to paper the deal and sign it up.

  Dylan wrote down a number and passed it to me. I looked. Perfect.

  “Miss Butler, I believe we have an agreement on value.”

  Dylan opened her mouth and tilted her head. She looked like she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure.

  It couldn’t be that she needed to correct my calling her ‘miss.’ I would have heard from her brother if she’d gotten married. Hell, her parents would have invited me to the wedding.

  Unless she’d asked them not to. My insides went cold. A quick glance at her left finger told me it was blessedly naked. Thank God.

  “Don’t you have to check with your client first?” Dylan asked, her nose scrunching up in the most adorable way

  My shoulders relaxed. “I have authority to a certain point, but yes, I’ll run it by George. Given what we’ve discussed, I don’t see a scenario where he says no, though. All he’ll need is a line to sign on.”

  “Fantastic.” She flashed that brain-melting smile at me again. “I’ll get the standard documents for him to go over, then he can do the final signing with the senior partners tomorrow.”


  “Let’s do dinner.” I’d been waiting to ask her since I’d arranged to take be put on this deal.

  Dylan flinched. I gave myself a mental kick. I’d rather apologize over dinner, but she clearly wasn’t going to accept an invitation from me until we talked.

  “Dylan—”

  “It was nice working with you. Good luck with everything,” Dylan said, which clearly meant she’d lost her mind since we weren’t totally done with the work. She snatched up her briefcase and rushed out the door as fast as she could on her three-inch heels.

  Funny. I’d never pictured Dylan wearing heels before. Now I wouldn’t be able to un-picture it. I had a feeling watching her sexy ass sway out the door was going to be fodder for my dreams for a very long time.

  Chapter 3

  Dylan

  I leaned my shoulder against the wall and started deep breathing exercises as soon as I rounded the corner. Yes, I’d walked right past the elevator, but I was going to need a minute.

  I smacked the back of my head against the stylish faux brick wall.

  Holy shit. Cameron Richmond. HOLY SHIT. I clapped a hand over my mouth to muffle a sudden giggle. Is this real life?

  He was my every dirty fantasy and wannabe hate fuck rolled into one, and I’d just negotiated with him for the biggest deal of my life.

  I’d actually told him I didn’t want it that bad. Liar. He’d leaned in close enough to kiss me and all I’d been able to think about was tearing his clothes off and doing him on the conference table.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid. But I hadn’t made a single move on him. I’d left that room with my dignity mostly intact.

  I couldn’t believe he’d asked me out to dinner. Was he insane? Maybe he thought ten years was long enough to forget how he’d taken my most precious offering, then pulled a middle of the night disappearing act. Sure, I’d been stupid and young, but I’d been convinced that I was in love with him. I’d been so crazy about him that I’d given him my virginity … and then I’d woken up to an empty bed and a heart full of regrets.

  Jerk. Sexy, handsome jerk. I shook my head and combed my fingers through my hair.

  Shit. I still needed to print the agreements for his client.

  Maybe I could find a way out of finalizing the deal. The hard part was over, now someone just had to get it signed. Hell, I could get promoted out of it, couldn’t I? I wasn’t likely to get promoted in the next ten seconds, though, and I needed to find an excuse not to go back in there. I’d survived my one encounter with Cameron Richmond and now I was never going to see him again.

  “Dylan.”

  Except for right now. I dropped my hands to my side and glared at him. Of course he was interrupting my much-needed Cameron-free moment, because the only time he stuck around was when I didn’t want him to.

  “Cameron,” I said. I was proud of how cold I sounded. Inside I was heating up and flying around like a jumbo jet. The problem with Cameron was that he was too sexy for the good of any woman in his vicinity.

  “I’ll give you a few minutes to print up the agreements while I get George. We’ll continue after that.”

  Shit. This wasn’t over yet. I’d have to keep standing around Cameron Richmond and trying not to tear my clothes off. At least there’d be a third party to cool things off between us. There’d be no sex on the conference table with his client in the room. Not that I was going to have sex with him anyway.

  “We could always finish this tomorrow,” I said.

  “No. I’d rather do it now.” His voice was husky and suggestive.

  My cheeks flushed. I looked up into his dark, dark blue eyes. I needed to run, but my legs were locked in place.

  “Before we go back in there, I have something to say.” Cameron brushed a finger against the hair hanging down to my shoulders.

  I knew, scientifically, that I should not be able to feel a finger against my hair follicles, but I felt him right down to my marrow. He felt like fireworks inside of me, tearing through all my nerve endings.

  “I’m sorry,” Cameron said. “I screwed up that night, and I need you to know how much I regret it.”

  My first reaction was shock. I’d never expected to hear those words come out of his mouth. Shock was followed a second later by anger. Fury knotted in my chest. Our night together was nothing but a fuck up he regretted. I finally knew why he’d left me there, and I hated him even more for it.

  I took a deep breath, and steeled my shoulders. “I don’t have time to deal with this right now. We’re in the middle of a negotiation.” My knuckles were white around the handle of my briefcase. “On second thought, I don’t have time to deal with this ever. Whatever happened that night is in the past, and I’m over it. Understand? I don’t care.” I was growing more worked up by the second. I had to get away from him before he broke me completely. “Now you can go live your life regret-free knowing it doesn’t mean a thing to me.”

  He leaned in so close I could feel his warm breath against my lips. “If you’re over it, then why did you spend ten years avoiding me?”

  “I haven’t,” I whispered. The night we were together I found out he had a small birthmark right at his hairline. It was so unnoticeable that no one could see it from more than an inch away. I could see it from where I was standing, and I wanted to reach out and touch it so badly that I felt that ache in my fingers that only Cameron Richmond could pull from me.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said. “And I don’t believe you’re over it. But even if you are, I’m not. I’ve never gotten over you, and I want a second chance. I know I acted like a fucking dick the first time, but I know better now and I want to make up for it.”

  I wanted to believe him. He’d been my friend through childhood along with being my brother’s best friend. Before I’d slept with him I would have trusted him with anything. Now I had no idea if I could trust him or not. He could have been leading me on just to drop me again. I couldn’t let him know I cared what he thought of me. It would kill me.

  “Dylan.” He moved even closer. With his broad shoulders, and muscular build, he seemed to take up way too much space. He towered over me.

  I tilted my head back and felt the heat from his lips right next to mine. I didn’t have enough will power to guard my heart against him. I could have pushed him away, but I didn’t. I stayed still and let his lips touch mine.

  His kiss burned through me, tearing down every wall I’d put up against him. His mouth devoured mine, urging me to part my lips so his tongue could explore me.

  I let him in deeper. He took every inch I gave him and wrung all the pleasure out of it that he could.

  My knees melted. His strong arms wrapped around me, holding me against him.

  I hadn’t kissed him since that night we’d shared together, and I’d almost forgotten what it felt like. Almost.

  I moaned deep in my throat. He was so good. No other man had ever felt this good after I’d lost him. His kiss felt so right it almost melted away ten years of anger.

  Almost.

  I had to stop. I had to stay mad at him. He’d hurt me, and he could hurt me again. If I slept with him and woke up to find him gone in the morning again, I’d be shattered. It would hurt worse than anything I’d ever felt and I wasn’t sure if I could handle it. Besides that, I’d never forgive myself if I let him make a fool of me twice.

  I pulled away from him. He moved to maintain the contact, then broke away to gaze down at me. His eyes were hazy with lust.

  I wanted to lace my fingers through his hair and pull his face back down to mine, but I couldn’t. The ghost of the pain that might be was too strong inside me now.

  “I have to print the documents.” I shimmied away from him and walked toward the room I remembered being marked on the blueprints as a printing space.

  I couldn’t stop shaking. My knees felt like they might buckle and toss me to the floor at any moment.

  I rubbed my arms and tried to pull myself together, but I was distracted by the fri
ction between my thighs and how wet my panties were.

  Holy shit.

  Cameron Richmond.

  I was going to need every ounce of self control I possessed to get through this, and even that might not be enough. He was my weakness, in every possible way. One smile from him could melt me. His kiss wrecked me. If he touched me again I might just explode.

  How could self control guard against that? Was it even possible to protect my heart from him? I could give in now and let the crazy high drag me under until reality jolted me back up.

  It would only hurt temporarily, like pulling off a Band-Aid. I’d survived Cameron once, and I could survive him again. Besides, I was older now. I could hold my ground and take a piece of him down with me.

  Hmm. There was a thought. Instead of avoiding him, I could get revenge. Hurt him right back. Make him feel the pain I had ten years ago.

  The problem was, he didn’t care enough about me to get hurt.

  Chapter 4

  Cameron

  I watched her walk away. Again.

  I couldn’t believe she didn’t slap me. I could still taste her kiss on my lips. Nectarines. What kind of woman tasted like nectarines?

  Dylan.

  I wanted to savor her for hours, but I had work to do.

  I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed George. He picked up on the first ring.

  “We’ve got a deal. You’ll need to come down to the conference room to sign off.”

  “I’m right outside the building.”

  I sighed. George was ridiculously eager. This was why I’d wanted him nowhere near the negotiation, but it was his deal. He was the only one who could make the final decision and sign the paperwork.

  I couldn’t imagine that he’d say no. I’d gotten him a good deal, despite the distraction my cock had provided.

  Dylan Sofia Butler. Her lips weren’t enough. I wanted all of her, all to myself. Once, all those years ago was definitely not enough. The memory of how perfect her wet, tight little cunt was haunted me. Those tiny mewling cries she made when she came. The way her skin tasted. The tight bud of her swollen clit as I stroked it. Fuck. She was all I could think about, and my dick started hardening in my dress slacks.